Renovated Hollywood House Goes Green
An “eco luxury” home has a casual, Italian-style farmhouse feel
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Like something out of a TV sitcom, mixed signals and name confusions led a real estate agent to show the wrong house to a Los Angeles couple: Monica Rosenthal, who co-starred in the Emmy award-winning TV series Everybody Loves Raymond, and her husband, Philip, creator, writer, and executive producer of the show. Even though the 1920s house was in the midst of a renovation and not for sale, the Rosenthals made an offer to the owner, interior designer Timothy Corrigan. “They liked the house so much that they contacted me to see if I would be willing to sell it on the condition that I complete it for them,” Corrigan recalls. The designer agreed, and the Rosenthals bought the property in 2005.
“When we first saw the house, it was completely gutted,” Monica says. “But when I walked into the kitchen area, I was struck with how open it was. From both sides of the room you looked to beautiful views outdoors. I knew we could live here. I could envision this as a space where we could all hang out.”
The couple and their two children, Ben and Lily, had just returned from a vacation in Italy, and the family was looking to create a casual Italian-style farmhouse. “We entertain a lot and have a lot of events here,” Monica says.
Owning a large home raised issues, however. “I was concerned about our carbon footprint,” she says. “I’m still conflicted about being a resource hog.” Those concerns prompted Monica and Corrigan to incorporate as many green products as possible. And because the house was being renovated, they could add many sustainable and eco-kind materials from the ground up.
Monica requested insulation made with recycled cotton denim rather than fiberglass. She also spearheaded the installation of two types of solar panels. Inconspicuous low-profile “solar shingles” blend with regular roof shingles while collecting energy from the sun. And highly efficient silicon panels are mounted on wood awnings that project over bedroom balconies.
Corrigan recommended using recycled steel for structural support. “It doesn’t cost any more and is just as durable,” he says.
The designer tapped a California-based company that specializes in locating and selling reclaimed lumber that he used to fabricate into ceiling beams, floors, and wall paneling in the Rosenthals’ library.
When a stone terrace was torn out during the renovation, Philip suggested installing the stone on the dining room walls. “I was reticent at first. I thought it might be too much,” Monica says. “But it’s one of the best rooms in the house. It feels like a wine cellar.”
New wood floors and wood furnishings are built with lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as grown and harvested using sustainable practices. Cork floors were laid in a few rooms, including a laundry room. Cork is harvested from the bark of the oak cork tree without harming the tree. It is considered a quickly renewable material because the bark grows back in five to seven years.
Corrigan chose green furnishings, too, including many antiques. “They are the ultimate in green because no new resources are used to create them.”
Drapery and furniture fabrics are cotton, linen, and other natural fibers, says Corrigan, who avoided fabrics treated with toxic, high-metal dyes. Pillows and furniture cushions are made with natural latex foam wrapped in down. Man-made, petroleum-based foams can give off toxic fumes.
Corrigan began researching green design several years ago when he became aware of indoor air pollution. He was initially appalled at the lack of attractive green options, so he lobbied furniture, fabric, and other suppliers to offer beautiful and Earth-friendly products. The result is what Corrigan calls eco-luxury—design that doesn’t require a homeowner to choose between elegance and being environmentally responsible. It’s an approach that resonates with Monica. “Tim’s main focus was aesthetics. The house is elegant, but also warm and homey.”
Photography: Joe Schmelzer
Interior design: Timothy Corrigan, Timothy Corrigan Inc., 5818 West Third St., Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323/525-1802, timothy-corrigan.com [1].
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Living Room Details
Natural-fiber fabrics made with safe or no dyes are used for furniture and draperies. Cushions are made with natural latex foam and down.
Did you know? The U.S. Department of Health estimates that up to 20% of all chronic illnesses are attributable to the air pollution in our homes.
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Dining Room
Salvaged stone was taken from a terrace during landscaping and installed on the dining room walls to add rustic old-world character to the previously dressy room.
Reclaimed wood planks and beams supplied by a California-based company, TerraMai [8], were added to the ceiling, which previously was painted with clouds.
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Exterior
Solar shingles are low-profile solar panels designed to blend with traditional roof shingles. The panels capture light emitted by the sun and convert that energy into electricity.
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Entry
Antique doors from Italy open to the foyer, with an antique console, mirror, and lamps made from 19th-century candlesticks.
Did you know? Indoor air pollution can be 10 times greater than what we experience outdoors.
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Library
Recycled lumber was used to panel the library and build the fireplace mantel, which displays Emmy Awards the Rosenthals won for the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond.
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Kitchen
Energy-efficient windows and French doors from Pella Windows and Doors [21] were installed, providing ample natural daylight without taxing heating and cooling systems.
Did you know? A photovoltaic cell or solar cell is the technology used to convert solar energy into electrical power.
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Breakfast Area
Reclaimed walnut planks were laid for the kitchen floor. New wood floors in other areas were all certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
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Nesting Instincts
Shortly after hanging a lantern in the front loggia, a mother dove built her nest there and refused to budge until her fledglings were launched. “We figured the house must have good green karma for her to nest right by the front door,” says Corrigan.
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Eco-Luxury Tips from Designer Tim Corrigan
• Use paints low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
• Seek out organic and eco-friendly fabrics colored with safe dyes now proliferating in the market.
• Switch to all-natural home-care products.
• Swap out your incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Huge advances have been made in CFLs so they no longer cast that eerie green light.
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Pool House
Cork floors in the pool house are practical and sustainable. Cork is harvested by removing outer bark from a cork tree without harming the tree.
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Gazebo
Iron lattice forms a gazebo planted with wisteria and jasmine to create a romantic outdoor dining spot protected from the sun and wind. The terrace is made of stone.
Golden pothos and English ivy help remove indoor air pollutants such as formaldehyde and benzene.
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Gazebo Details
“This house is both green and elegant. It truly is the embodiment of the phrase eco-luxury,” says designer Tim Corrigan.
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Want more tips on how to make your home eco-chic? Click here to see another environmentally friendly home designed by Zem Joaquin. [43]